INTO KOMBAT

By Hannah Lester

Photos Contributed By Kombat Zone

Jarvis Hamilton said he hopes he’s opened the newest “place to be” in Smiths Station.

Hamilton opened The Kombat Zone in November 2022.

“[The Kombat Zone] was something that I could do to get kids in the building and have something for them to do,” he said. “And I went to Smiths Station ‘cause they didn’t have anything.”

There are Nerf guns and targets, an area for “battle,” opportunities for parties and more.

Hamilton took care to get involved in the community and participate in community events so as to spread the word about his business. Word of mouth has been big too, he said.

While the business has grown since November, Hamilton said it’s far from where he wants it to be.

“I want it to be the place — the place to go to,” he said.

There are arcade games, in addition to the Nerf.

He has ideas in the works, such as glow parties with glow-inthe-dark bullets.

Kombat Zone is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 4 to 8 p.m. EST for open shooting; Saturdays is a day for parties — which must be booked (walk-in or online on the Facebook page).

Shooting targets costs $27 for one child during the week, or two for $40.

“They can just come in and shoot targets and play arcade games I don’t usually put a time limit on it unless I’m jampacked,” Hamilton said.

Children just light up when they see the store. It offers not just Nerf guns, but a variety, which appeals to children, Hamilton said.

“I see [kids] get to come in there, and in there, everybody is alike because all the kids are going to act the same way inside there,” he said.

Hamilton said that his main goal is not making money.

“Your number-one reason, it has to be a passion,” he said. “Either a passion for what you’re doing or a passion for who you’re helping.”

Opelika, Alabama

Memorial Day Services

MONDAY, MAY 29, 2023 10 a.m.

Courthouse Square

South 9th Street Opelika

Reception to follow: 11 a.m.

Museum of East Alabama 121 South 9th Street

Bill Trant, Coley Trant, Gene Ward, Allison Owens, Ginger Gray-Busby, Paul Kemp, David Phillips, Roger Hughes, Lee Smith, Linda Stewart, John McCollum, Bobby McBurney